Chapter Eleven: The British Counterattack (Four)

  I've tried hard, but the noisy environment is really not suitable for writing. After deducting half a day, I only managed to write this little bit...

  January 28, 1915, Lemnos Island, Greece.

  The Aegean Sea and the Dardanelles, which had been overcast for a long time, rarely cleared up. In the morning, the warm sunlight pierced through the thin clouds and poured down on the anchorage of the Anglo-French fleet. The fishermen in Mujiazhuang Village, who were taking a winter break from fishing, turned their faces away, not wanting to look at the faint morning light, lazily turning over to indulge in the feeling of going back to sleep. At this moment, the dull warship's anchor lifted its voice and shouted loudly above the harbor, shattering this sweet morning.

  In mid-January, a group of British engineers in suits and carrying survey equipment arrived on the somewhat desolate island of Lemnos under the guidance of Greek officials, bringing with them the sounds of heavy machinery and taking away the ancient quiet that had persisted for centuries in the small fishing village.

  Lemnos Island quickly became a bustling construction site, with massive transport ships unloading tons of steel machinery outside Moudros village, simple docks were tightly controlled by a group of sturdy soldiers, fishermen's boats were towed to secluded corners; the lush palm and oak trees in the south and east were cleared, replaced by barracks, warehouses and scattered building materials.

  The drowsy sleepiness was dispelled by the whistle of the warship, and the man in the fisherman's house suddenly opened his back corner, walked to the window in a rage, and was immediately stunned by the scene outside.

  At 6:44, in the biting winter wind, one dreadnought (A??nkürü), six pre-dreadnoughts (Yavuz Sultan Selim, Barbaros Hayreddin, Turgut Reis, Orkan, Muavenet-i Milliye and Mesudiye), three light cruisers, nine destroyers, five minesweepers, one submarine tender and three support ships slowly raised their heavy anchors from the muddy sea floor of Lemnos' Moudros Bay and set off towards the Dardanelles.

  "Hey, Brits! This is going to be a good beating for the Turkish bastards!" The half-naked Greek fisherman pushed open the window and excitedly waved his fist. Although they were annoyed by the British taking over their territory, this didn't stop these fishermen from hating their old enemies, the Turks. "Good job, Brits!"

  ****

  "Lemnos Island in Greece is located in the northern part of the Aegean Sea, only 43 nautical miles from the Dardanelles. The island is composed of volcanic rock and has a natural deep-water bay on both its southern and northern sides, with the main Allied fleet concentrated in Moudros Bay to the south."

  In late January, the British established an advance base on the island of Lemnos, within a few miles of Gallipoli and the Dardanelles, and openly sent out reconnaissance aircraft and intelligence ships to gather information about Turkish defenses.

  It was clear that an Allied attack was imminent. The Ottoman Navy's aviation unit, equipped with three German-made Aviatik CI twin-seat reconnaissance aircraft, was moved to the Dardanelles front. On the morning of 27 January, Turkish Aviation Squadron Commander Captain Bock, a German pilot, ventured close to Lemnos Island for an aerial reconnaissance mission.

  On the morning of January 28, a long-planned military conference was held in the underground room of the Seddulbahir fortress at the southernmost tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Under the dim light, the commander of the Fifth Army, Liman von Sanders, the commander of the Dardanelles Defense Command, Rauf Bey, the temporary commander of the German U-boat squadron, Karl D?nitz, the commander of the Torpedo Flotilla, Günther Lütjens, and the commanders of the Turkish Fifth Army and the Dardanelles fortresses gathered. Major Bock spread out a stack of aerial photographs and explained in detail, pointing to the photos that non-professionals could hardly distinguish: "Although the water depth conditions and area of Mudros Bay are suitable for building a port, its wide entrance at the southern end is also its biggest drawback!"

  A blurry black and white photo shows a silver-white water belt running north-south, deeply embedded in the dark shadows of the island. The southern end of the estuary is almost equal in width to the bay.

  "The British have just occupied the island of Lemnos, their anti-submarine system should not be completed yet." Captain Karl D?nitz's youthful and impulsive gaze reluctantly withdrew from the black-and-white photo, clenching his fists to suppress the excitement that was almost bursting out: "The British do not know that my submarine fleet has secretly slipped into the Dardanelles, gentlemen, this is an opportunity!"

  "And there's the Hamidiye cruiser and eleven destroyers!" Thinking of the fantasies of national self-strengthening that had been smashed, and the snow-white, gleaming sabres of Armstrong shipyard, thinking of the Ottoman sailors who had trained desperately to receive the warships, and the Newcastle managers who were sneering, Rauf couldn't help but bite his lip. Supporting himself on the old office desk, he slowly stood up, Rauf's bloodthirsty gaze swept across the room, saying word by word:

  "General Sanders, the greatest shame of Turks - Sultan Osman I and Resadiye battleships are in Mudros Bay, let the Navy take initiative, Turks need to defend their dignity!"

  After the Battle of Cape Souchi, Rear Admiral Rauf Orbay was already Deputy Minister of Turkish Navy. Sanders did not want to let Rauf take risks, but all words seemed so pale and powerless in front of national dignity. As a Jew, Sanders covered his heart with a sympathetic feeling, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded.

  "Have D?nitz's U-boat fleet conduct preliminary reconnaissance in the Sea of Marmara, and at the beginning of February, the U-boat fleet and destroyer flotilla can launch a surprise attack, codenamed 'Osman Rescue', to be personally commanded by General Rauff!"

  Just as General Sanders' battle orders for the defense of the Dardanelles were being issued, a violent explosion shook the outside of the bunker, causing the conference table and wooden chairs to shudder violently. Dust and sand poured down from the ceiling of the bunker, filling the tense air.

  "Enemy attack?" Everyone's heart couldn't help but tremble: "The British devils arrived so quickly!"

  ****

  Aegean Sea, a massive fleet is advancing eastward, with the giant, Ocean-class old battleship, three light cruisers, four destroyers and five minesweepers as the vanguard, one main force ship and four old battleships as the main force fleet, five destroyers and three support ships as the rear guard fleet.

  The old minesweepers converted from civilian ships and three boiler-aging support vessels dragged the fleet, and the fleet's progress was not fast. However, a distance of over 40 nautical miles is nothing. At 10:11, the vanguard fleet approached the Turkish coastline.

  At 10:18, the main fleet of the Anglo-French fleet arrived at the Dardanelles, only 11,000 yards from the Sedd el Bahr fortress on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Meanwhile, Commander Carden was still leisurely sitting in the temporary command room of the battleship Ireland, flipping through old newspapers and enjoying the quiet comfort.

  "Who says there's no battle plan!"

  Ireland's orderly, Kruyff, wrote in his diary that when the fleet chief of staff, Rear Admiral John de Robeck, complained to Carden about the lack of strategic planning for the bombardment, Carden seemed taken aback for a moment, took half a day to collect his thoughts and replied gruffly:

  "Blast the Turks' pseudo-fortress with 13.5-inch and 12-inch main guns! Do not approach the coastline until the Turkish defenses have been cleared, and it has been confirmed that the Turks have no power to retaliate. Then send out minesweepers to clear any possible minefields and land troops for combat. Major General, this is my entire battle plan!"

  At 10:23, the bombardment began with seven battleships forming a line of battle and passing in succession from northwest to southeast at a distance of about 11,000 yards from the Sedd-el-Bahr forts. The Queen Elizabeth opened fire with her 13.5-inch guns, followed by the six old battleships with their 12-inch guns.

  To avoid counter-battery fire from the Turkish 11-inch howitzers and possible sorties by destroyers, the British battleship fleet did not dare to anchor and kept a cautious distance of 9,000 yards from the Turkish coastline. At this range, the accuracy of the British gunfire was very poor.

  At 10:29, two British Short Type 184 seaplanes flew over the Sedd-el-Bahr fortifications. The British attempted to use wireless telegraphy to spot for the fall of shot, but this laudable attempt was doomed by the bulk and weight of the radio equipment at that time: with the addition of wireless communication devices, the wooden structure half-open seaplane became abnormally cumbersome, and the signaller had to observe and calculate in a harsh environment before the limited fuel consumption of the aircraft ran out.

  Ineffective bombardment lasted for about half an hour, with the British having no success except for a few outlying forts being destroyed. The Chatham's fuel was exhausted and she had to make her way back unsteadily. At this moment, the Ottoman Sedd-el-Bahr fort suddenly erupted in a towering cloud of smoke, with flames flickering within it.

  The cheers of the England Marines and "Rule Britannia" were 11 inches away from the commander's armored turret, still piercing through like a phantom.

  "Is this God's gift to the English?" Unfamiliarity with the battlefield, poor preparation, unclear strategy, and a stubborn commander. Ever since the fleet set sail, Chief of Staff Major General John D. Robeck had been plagued by a bad premonition. As Robekk was worried, a violent explosion suddenly came from the direction of the coastline, leaving him stunned.

  "No, this is not a gift from God, but the Royal Navy's actual strength. General Robeck, caution is a good quality, but don't let it turn into hesitation and stagnation." Admiral Carden, who had been lingering in his cabin drinking tea and reading newspapers, finally arrived at the command tower of his flagship HMS Ireland, and with an air of British gentlemanliness said to the fleet's chief of staff, "Order the fleet to continue shelling, have the light cruiser squadron cover the minesweepers clearing the coastal minefields, and prepare the landing troops to disembark on V Beach and S Beach. Perhaps we can take Sedd el Bahr fortress!"